Chilli Con Carne

Ok this won't be a regular thing I am not much of a foodie, and this one is by request.  I was bragging last night that I made a great chilli con carne and was asked for the recipe so here it is.(must note that this is from a readers digest cookbook that my nan got me)

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
350g lean stewing beef cut into small cubes
1 large onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 can chopped tomatoes(400g tin)
2 cans red kidney beans
300ml salt reduced beef stock.

Now for the cooking method
heat oil in a large flameproof casserole dish, add the beef and fry over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until well browned.  Remove with slotted spoon.

Reduce the heat and add the onion to the pan.  Stir well and cook gently for 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, cumin seeds and chilli flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, Then return the meat to the pan.  Add tomato paste, tomatoes, beans and stock.  Stir well and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat so the mixture is gently simmering, then cover with a lid and cook for 1-1 1/2 or until the meat is tender.  Stir occasionally.

So there it is one chilli con carne recipe.   Enjoy.

Why?

Why are people so stupid?
Why do they no do a little research before saying stupid things?
Why do they continue to argue with you when you point out when they are wrong?


These are just a few of the thoughts that have run around my head today.  I was playing a game on facebook today having a chat with a few of the people there talking about how cold it was and which heating was the best.  I said central heating for the win and most agreed.  Then from no where someone pipes up with I am from Australia and we don't have Central heating here in Australia.  Now most of us had already indicated that we were from Australia and were a little dumb founded by this.

I piped up with that I am from Australia and I have Central heating, The person then asked me what state I was in and I told them.  They went Oh I am from NSW and we don't have it here, your state must be the only one that has it.  At this point a few others piped up with their states and the fact that they had Central heating yet this one person still argued that in NSW they didn't have Central heating.  

Back to square one

So as you all know today was the day I was going to get Champix(the drug that helps you stop smoking), Well I was going to get it but the Dr's denied my request for it due to previous mental health issues(depression).  I am really disappointed because I have tried all other methods to try and quit but I have been unsuccessful in all attempts.  This was to be my last hope, I have tried quitting cold turkey and lasted two days, I have tried patches and just lit up a smoke, I have done the gum, the lozengers, the inhalers(they taste like 4 day old smokes and makes you want to smoke a real one).

I plan to try again soon but right now I am to upset I just want to smoke.

I just found out how unimportant I really am.

Ok so I was posting on Facebook and Husband was having a slight go at me.  He told me to google myself my name plus facebook.  I read 5 pages in and there was NOTHING about me.  None of my awesome posts, none of my witty comebacks to people, none of my nothing.  You have no idea how sad it is to google yourself and find nothing.

I found a crap load of people who share my name though but not a single one of them was me.  Here I was thinking I am the centre of the universe and there is NOTHING about me.  How can I not be in there.

Then to I was sooking about it to my friend Crissy over at Phenomenal Woman http://bloggitymoo.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/lifting-from-fog.html who decides to be a bitch and rub it in that in searching her name not only does she pop up on the first page the WHOLE DAMN first page is HER'S that wench.

BAH

Tomorrow my mum is coming to visit, and my house is a mess.  If it's still messy when she gets here I will cop a lecture for the whole time she is here.  I have 2 sick kids, I am off to the Dr's tomorrow to get a script for the drug that helps you quit smoking.  I am stressed to the max.

I have also applied for a job which is stressing me for two reasons 1 what if I don't get it and 2 what if I do.  Makes no sense but this is me.  I really should be racing around like a headless chook cleaning the house up but I can't work up the energy to do so.

Pro Choice

Yesterday I was involved in a discussion about pro choice for woman's reproductive rights.  And the discussion and me sitting here with my mouth hanging open in shock.  The amount of times I heard I am pro choice BUT had me shaking my head in disbelief.  It's a bit like saying I am not a racist BUT.  I was left wondering how in the world can you be pro choice but then place your own limitations onto someone else's choice.

I heard I am pro choice but only up to 6 weeks.   WTF most woman don't even know they are pregnant at 6 weeks.

I am pro choice but only up to 12 weeks.

I am pro choice but not for abortions preformed at 39 weeks.  This one had me going Whoa there back the horse up No clinic in Australia would preform an abortion at 39 weeks No Dr would preform one at that many weeks they would just preform a C-section if the mothers life was in danger.

For those of you unaware of abortion laws in Australia most states allow abortion up to 23 weeks gestation after that up to a certain point only for medically necessary reason that 3 Dr's have to agree to(ie the mother life or mental health is in danger or for genetic defects).

I informed those in the discussion that they can't be pro choice if you allowed YOUR limitations to someone else choice and was shouted down, I was told that was Bullshit and that I couldn't define pro choice for someone else.  But for me it's pretty simple either you support a woman's right to choice over her reproductive right regardless of what you would do or you don't.  If you don't you aren't pro choice.  Personally an Abortion is something I couldn't do but just because it's not something I would do doesn't mean that someone else can't make that choice for themselves.

I guess my blog isn't what you thought it would be.

I got to thinking today that my blog isn't what people would have expected when the read who I am.  I am betting people just thought this would be yet another mummy blog who would post about her children and how hard life is with a Husband who is a shift worker.  I am sure there will be more post about these things but since I am more than just a wife and mother I will blog about things I am passionate about as well.

To tell you the truth my blog isn't what I thought it would be either I really thought I would use this space to piss and moan about my life yet somehow it has taken on a life of it's own and is more than what I thought it would be to me.  By now with most of my post I am sure people have realised that while I am a wife and mother I am passionate about same sex marriage, I am a strong believer in being involved and knowing what is going on in politics.  I am a big supporter of getting it right with the refugees who come to Australia by any means.  Oh and I also tend to have a rather foul mouth and rarely stop swearing(I have tried to cure myself of swearing but I can't seem to stop).

There are many things in life that I get passionate about and like to share with you few who actually read my blog.  I like to challenge the way people think to look outside their own little boxes, it also could be that I am a rather pushy bitch and like being right and love it when I can prove people wrong(I am evil like that :P).

Same Sex Marriage.

This is one thing that everyone seems to have an opinion on.  Most Churches are against it as with most religious people because it "devalues" marriage.

When I hear statements like that I can't help but think that those people(those making the statements are stupid) How can two people loving each other devalue your marriage?  Why does two people getting married worry you so much?

I was raised to treat every one as an equal as I am doing with child1, 2 and 3.  They know about same sex couples and have never batted an eye lid.  I fight for same sex marriage because I want to be able to tell my children that I fought for what was right and fair.  How can anyone deny others the right to marry whom they love.

Celebrities marrying for 55hours or 72 days devalue marriage more than Same sex couples would they are just two people who love each other and want to get married.

I broke down and Cried at the Motor Registry Office

So today I had to go get new plates, so off I go to the Motor Registry Office(from here on out to be known as MRO) Get all my stuff together and go in.  I fill in all the paper work including a Stat Dec stating that the Plate had been STOLEN and gave them the Police Job Number.  I had been told by the Police that it would Cost me $0 to get my new plates because mine were stolen.

Nope this was wrong information I had to cough up $34.10 for new plates because and I quote the guy serving me " Otherwise it would be a Government hand out for a vanity reason" Umm dude my PLATES WERE STOLEN I have NO choice but to change them because they were used in the course of a CRIME.  I don't want to get pulled over by the Police asking if I was the one who committed that CRIME.  So I had my last $20(tough week) and I had to borrow $14.10 to make up the difference to pay for my plates.

I was so upset and frustrated that I broke down and cried the guy at the counter was so embarrassed that he had caused me to cry I am sure he felt bad but came off sounding like and ass.

Oh and to top it all off the NEW PLATES DON"T FIT MY CAR.

Mother's Day

Mother's day was yesterday and all around mum's were waking to breakfast in bed and pressies from the kids well most of them were I however was woken by a phonecall from MIL(mother in law) wanting to talk to Husband about some computer stuff.  Child 3 presented me with a gift of a poster she had made at school on why she likes me.  She likes me because and I quote "I like mum because she lets me watch the goblin king and the biggest loser" Oh dear.

I was then given a half hearted Happy Mother's day by child 1 and child 2.  I knew that husband had gotten me a box of chocolates for mothers day so I waited ALL day long for him to present them to me didn't happen.  I also had to cook dinner.

It wasn't until Husband was going to bed that I asked if I could have my Mother's day present he then remembered that he had gotten me one.

Personally I think it topped off a rather crappy weekend which started on Friday night with a phonecall from the local police asking me if I was missing a number plate from my car.  I was it turns out some ASSHOLE has stolen my number plate driven to a service station filled up with petrol and FUCK OFF with out paying thinking since they have MY number plate I will get into trouble for it.

Sigh.

I think I am rude you tell me.

Ok so it's Government budget time yet again and once again there are whiners and whingers nothing unusual there but one story I read really pissed me off.  A single woman was whinging about not getting anything but paying a crap load of tax.

Lets set the picture she is a single woman no kids earning over $80k per YEAR and was whinging that she is getting nothing out of the budget yet she pays so much tax.  She was only going to get something when she was either OLD or was FORCED to have children(yes her words FORCED).  I have to say that if you are a single person on $80k a year and you are crying because you aren't going to be getting benefits then you are doing something WAY wrong and yes I posted a comment under the article to that effect.  How far outside of your pay packet are you living if you are on $80k a year and are complaining?

What the hell has gone on is Australia when people earning this much money are complaining that they need Government handouts to survive as a single person.  You have a decent paying job, you are able bodied what more do you want?

You want to know what you are getting for your tax dollars look at the roads you drive on, the police protecting your safety, the hospitals you use, the nurses who care for you, the medicare rebate you get, the public transport, the school you went to(public or private are both funded by the Government to some degree)  Just look around you to see what you are paying your taxes on.  Personally I would rather see the major amounts of money gathered by the Carbon tax and mining tax spend on hospitals, schools, and other stuff than another "free money" pay off but I am not in Government.

Sharing my Favourite youtube clips

Today for a nice change from my ranting I thought I would share with my readers my favourite youtube clips there are a few of them.

First there is this one, one of the most heart warming heart wrenching clips you will see.  It's a compilation of a lot of the military homecoming clips you will see on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSMlIM9zLio

Then there is the soldiers blowing off steam while in a combat zone.  It's nice to see that they get a little time for some fun stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW1toLy_FMQ&feature=fvsr

This guy is just amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k11Zxbeye_g

Then the air force gets a role
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqaWdkdFb3Y

There are many more amazing clips like these on youtube, hope you enjoy a few of my favourites.

Stay at home mum's

There is so much stigma attached to stay at home mum's these days.  I really don't get it, woman make choices that are best for their families.  I know I did, I am a stay at home mum.  This is a role I love most days some days I get a little tired of the daily grind but who doesn't?  This was a choice made by husband and my self back when child 1 was born.  I would be the stay at home parent and husband would work.  His plan is for me to eventually get a job that will go over and above his pay grade and he can be a kept man(chuckle).  No really he would keep his job he loves it.

I don't have to actually go to work we know that we are lucky like this many people don't actually get that choice they have to work to survive.  I don't judge working parents, I don't think they need to justify themselves to me or anyone else and I shouldn't have to justify our family choice to anyone else and normally I don't.   Notice I said normally there have been a few times when I have not justified myself but had a few arguments with people about what I do.  One was some one I have known for a long time.  At a party we were talking and he asked what I did(we hadn't seen each other in a while) so I told him and the look on his smug face when he told me "oh that's not work" made me want to punch him in the face.

People I have met through others have asked the same question "what do you do all day?" I wonder if they know how insulting that question is.  I don't go around asking people who do paid employment what they do all day why do they need to know what I do all day.

Then there is the assumption that all stay at home mums do is go to the gym, go out to lunch with friends or out for coffee.  Lets get one thing straight some mums do that others don't I don't the only person I go out to lunch with is my husband when we go on a "date".

Ok that is the end of my rant for now.

Statements from stupid people.

Over the last few days I have had a couple of conversations with people and some of the comments have made me shake with anger.  How can seemingly smart people be so flippen stupid?

First comment:  Illegal Immigrants:  This is the first one I have had to clear up, lets get one thing straight those coming by boat to Australia AREN'T Illegal Immigrants they are ASYLUM SEEKERS, It is an offence against the migration act but it's not against the law for them to seek asylum in any country by any means.  Considering that 95% of those seeking asylum are found to be genuine refugee's you think people would start getting the picture but nope.  We still have to put up with the stupid comments from people.

Second Comment: Oh the Gillard Government is a crap Government:  Sure Gillard isn't that popular yes they have made some crappy choices.  But it's not a Crap Government it is actually the most successful Government to date pushing through more than 350 pieces of legislation through a minority Government.

Third Comment: I hate Gillard because of her voice: Yeah ok her voice is annoying, but you find it annoying you don't hate her because of the way she sounds that is just silly.

Forth Comment: The immigrants are causing Christmas and Easter to be cancelled:  Ummm Nope just no.

Seriously people if you are going to make stupid statements at least have the FACTS to back up your claims!!!!!!!!!  Oh and don't get shitty at me when I point out to you that you are wrong just accept the fact that you are wrong and LEARN something it just might change your view.

Funny man stories.

Chatting to people lately I have heard some pretty funny man stories, so today I thought I would share them.

Story one.
Wife has gone away for a short trip(weekend) leaving husband and kids at home not an hour into her journey she gets a phone call from husband asking how to use the WASHING MACHINE.

Story two.
Wife has gone out for just a few hours only to get a phone call on what to feed the children.

Story 3.
Wife goes away for a weekend only to have husband call her every few hours about something little.

There are millions of these kind of stories out there someone should write a book about them but they would all be the same, man unable to cope for a short amount of time of something that a woman does day in and day out.  Is it a sad sign of the times that men are going backwards not forwards in learning these things for themselves?

One of those stories are mine it really happened I was stunned.

I have heard stories of a man who works coming home and asking his wife who is a stay at home mum what she has done all day because the house is a mess.  That seriously is a stupid question for a man to ask if you have kids guess what she has been doing all day.  Being a stay at home mum doesn't mean she has become your maid, it means she is staying home to look after the children, yes some housework is required but not all of it.

I have known woman to go on strike after such a question has been asked.  And when their husbands ask where their clean clothes are are answered with "well you know what I do all day, well today I didn't do it" just to get the point across.(yes I have done this before as well and he only ever asked that once after that).

Share a "man" story with me.

A trip to the movies

Went and saw the Avengers today thought it would be crap but it wasn't to bad. Heaps of action a couple of good looking blokes and all in 3D(that's the version we picked).  Husband and I took child 1 to see it let her have half a day to do so.  Movie was suppose to start at 12:30pm but ended up starting at 1 pm and we ended up running late to pick up child 2 and 3.

It's a good thing my sister in law was able to grab them for us because we didn't get home until 20 to 4 :O.

Now we have to allow a day to take the younger two to go and see the lorax because they are rather annoyed at us.